LT And or Sproles to Have a BIG Game

Just checking out sportlines stats and for run defense, the Colts have allowed 11 runs of 20 yards or more. We have the lowest of 3 (although I think that was after 15 games and Bell killed us last game). With our run blocking looking as though it is finally starting to click it will be nice to see them bust some serious yardage. This is going to be a kick *** game and I can't wait.

Matchups are everything during the playoffs. That's why Saturday's Indianapolis Colts-San Diego Chargers game is so appealing.

Although the Colts finished four games better than the Chargers, many oddsmakers are calling it a pick 'em game, and they should. The Colts may enter as the favorites, but they know it's not a good matchup for them.

The Chargers' 3-4 defense gives the Colts serious problems. The Chargers' defensive line is physical. Their secondary can make plays. The Chargers usually can put pressure on Peyton Manning.

In the 2005 to 2007 seasons, the Chargers won three straight games against the Colts, including last season's 28-24 victory in the divisional playoffs. All three games were close -- the margins of victory were nine, two and four points.

Who can forget the 2007 Sunday night regular-season game in San Diego during which Manning threw six interceptions and let the Chargers build a 23-0 lead? Injuries left the Colts without their starting wide receivers and top tight end, Dallas Clark. But Manning mounted a stirring comeback with street receivers and unknown tight ends whom he barely knew and have long since been forgotten.

In one of his more incredible showings, Manning rallied the Colts with 21 points and had them inside the Chargers' 10-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. All they needed was an Adam Vinatieri field goal to win. But some rare clock mismanagement by the Colts and a miss by Vinatieri gave San Diego a 23-21 victory.

The Chargers came to the RCA Dome as clear underdogs in the second round of last season's playoffs. Tight end Antonio Gates had a toe injury that should have kept him out. Quarterback Philip Rivers played even though his knee needed reconstruction. Confident from their past successes, the Chargers beat the Colts and advanced to the AFC title game.

The Colts squeezed out a 23-20 victory earlier this season in San Diego, but that was an adventure, too. Rivers orchestrated a late-game drive that enabled the Chargers to tie the game and set it up for overtime. But Chargers coach Norv Turner made a fatal mistake when he called a timeout in the final two minutes.

That timeout gave Manning 90 seconds to engineer an eight-play field goal drive to win the game.

The Chargers are confident they can beat the Colts. Both teams are hot. The Chargers have won four straight after a 4-8 start. The Colts have won nine in a row after a 3-4 start.

Saturday's game could be a classic.

1. Lighting up the scoreboard: The first round of the playoffs likely will produce some of the higher-scoring games in the playoffs. The Chargers are the highest-scoring team in the AFC (27.4 ppg.), and the Colts know the only way to slow them is for Manning to possess the ball and keep the Indianapolis defense off the field. The early Saturday game between the Falcons and Cardinals could be a shootout. The Cardinals' defense gives up 26.6 points a game and has a 44.4 percent failure rate on third down. The key for Arizona is finding a way to pressure rookie quarterback Matt Ryan into making mistakes.

2. Will there be home-field advantage? Probably not. Some critics of the playoff system are pushing for a reseeding formula, one that NFL traditionalists will never endorse. The critics feel teams' records, not division titles, should dictate the seeding principles. Oddsmakers are giving critics some ammunition. If the Colts end up favored by a point or two in the final line, the road teams will be favored in all four first-round games. The Falcons will be at least two-point favorites over the Cardinals. The Eagles and Ravens are three-point favorites. Bettors are playing the wild-card teams instead of the division winners. That's understandable. The Colts did pull out a three-point victory in San Diego earlier this season. The Ravens went to Miami in Week 7 and smoked the Dolphins 27-13.

3. Colts walking tightrope: Because of their deficiencies on defense, the Colts are forced to play a style that likely will keep the Chargers within a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Colts have a league-low 150 offensive possessions in 16 games, an average of 9.375 a game. It's hard to score more than 24 points in nine-possession games, although Peyton Manning can get it done.

The Colts' defense gets overpowered against good running teams and gives up chunks of yardage in the passing game. To win, Manning must possess the ball and come up with touchdowns, not field goals. If Manning can put the Colts in the lead by the fourth quarter, the Indianapolis defense will make sacks and force turnovers. But a nine-possession game by the Colts should keep the Chargers, who average 27.4 points per game, within a score of winning or tying.

4. Chargers' secondary concerns: Like the Colts' defense, the Chargers' defense lets quarterbacks stay on the field too long. The Chargers rank next to last in pass defense, allowing 274.4 yards a game. The defense is on the field eight more plays a game than the offense.

Ron Rivera took over for Ted Cottrell as defensive coordinator and fixed a lot of things, but not everything. Rivera has improved the pass rush. He has tightened up some of the problems stopping the run. But the secondary remains a problem. It is vulnerable in the middle of the field. Manning will try to exploit that with Clark.

The Chargers' cornerbacks have been loose with their coverage; when they play tight, they tend to draw penalties. Two turnovers could give Manning an opportunity to put up 14 points in two possessions, a lead that might prove hard for Rivers to overcome.